California student and vocational grants: Cal Grant, CCPG, Workforce Pell and WIOA (2026-27)

What a Cal Grant pays at UC, CSU and private colleges in 2026-27

The tuition part of a Cal Grant is set by the type of college, not by your family income. Once you qualify, your campus decides how it fits with your other aid ⁠¹.

Source: LAO analysis of the 2026-27 CSAC budget ⁠¹. Student parents and current or former foster youth receive a $6,000 access award with Cal Grant A or B instead of $1,648 ⁠¹.

These amounts rose for 2026-27 because of planned tuition increases at both university systems ⁠². CSAC expects the number of Cal Grant recipients to grow 12% at CSU and 5.9% at UC this year ⁠².

Choosing between Cal Grant A, B and C

California has three Cal Grant types. Cal Grant A covers full systemwide tuition at UC and CSU and a fixed amount at private colleges. Cal Grant B pays the same tuition in most cases and adds the access award for food, housing and other living costs. Cal Grant C is only for students in career technical education programs and pays smaller amounts: $2,462 for tuition at private institutions, plus $1,094 for books and supplies at a community college or $547 at a private school. Student parents and foster youth get $4,000 with Cal Grant C ⁠¹.

You need financial need, which means your cost of attendance is higher than your Student Aid Index (SAI). Your income and assets must also be under CSAC’s ceilings. For 2025-26, a dependent student in a family of four qualified for Cal Grant A or C with household income up to $135,900 and for Cal Grant B up to $71,500 ⁠¹. CSAC adjusts these ceilings every year. Most award types also require a minimum high school GPA of 2.0 or 3.0, or a community college GPA of 2.0 or 2.4, depending on the award ⁠¹.

The Cal Grant is guaranteed, called an entitlement, for three groups. The first is recent California high school graduates. The second is transfer students under age 28. The third, since 2021-22, is community college students of any age or time out of high school ⁠¹. The 2026-27 budget raises the transfer age cap from 28 to 30 for award years 2027-28 through 2031-32 ⁠². If you are in none of these groups, you compete for one of 13,000 Competitive Cal Grants awarded each year ⁠¹.

March 2 and September 2: the two Cal Grant deadlines

The FAFSA or CADAA must be filed by March 2 to be considered for a Cal Grant at any California college. Community college students get a second chance with a September 2 deadline ⁠¹. For the 2027-28 school year, that means March 2, 2027, and September 2, 2027. Cal Grant applicants also need a GPA on file with CSAC, submitted on a GPA Verification Form by the same early-March deadline; ask your school whether it submits your GPA for you ⁠¹⁵. Missing September 2 can cost a community college student both the Cal Grant and the Student Success Completion Grant, which is paid only to Cal Grant B or C recipients ⁠⁴.

Community college costs: the CCPG fee waiver and completion grants

Every California community college charges $46 per unit, or $1,380 for a 30-unit year. Colleges offering bachelor’s degrees charge $84 more per upper-division semester unit, which the waiver does not cover ⁠⁴. The California College Promise Grant (CCPG) waives the base fee for credit courses if you meet any one of four tests ⁠⁴:

• Part A: you, or your parents if you are dependent, receive TANF/CalWORKs, SSI/SSP or General Assistance.
• Part B: household income in the prior year at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines (table below).
• Part C: your FAFSA or CADAA shows at least $1,104 of unmet need. Colleges may accept $552 for students taking 12 units a year.
• Part D: you are a homeless youth under 25, as defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Act.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Add $8,250 for each additional family member ⁠⁵.

You can qualify through the FAFSA, the CADAA or the college’s own CCPG application. AB 540 students who are exempt from nonresident tuition are eligible ⁠⁴. You lose the waiver if your cumulative GPA stays under 2.0, or you complete 50% or less of your units, for two consecutive terms after attempting 12 units. Colleges must offer an appeal, and foster youth up to age 25 are exempt from this rule ⁠⁴.

The California College Promise program, created by AB 19, gives participating districts money to cover fees for up to two full academic years for full-time students (12 or more units) who do not already have a CCPG. Districts may spend the money on books, transportation or other help instead, so ask your college what its program pays. Under AB 1920, students who earn a certificate on the way to an associate degree stay eligible starting January 1, 2027 ⁠⁴.

The Student Success Completion Grant adds cash for community college students with a Cal Grant B or C who meet federal academic progress rules ⁠⁴:

The Middle Class Scholarship after the 2026-27 cut

The Middle Class Scholarship serves UC and CSU students and community college students in bachelor’s programs ⁠³. It has no financial need test. CSAC subtracts your other gift aid and an assumed work contribution (15 hours a week for 39 weeks at the state minimum wage) from your cost of attendance, then pays a set share of what remains ⁠¹. Dependent students with household income over $100,000 also have a parent contribution deducted. The 2025-26 income limit for dependent students was $234,000 ⁠¹. The enacted 2026-27 budget reduced coverage from 35% to 23% of that remaining cost and set funding at $691 million, which the state pays one year late, in 2027-28 ⁠². The 2025-26 average award was $3,032 at UC and $2,954 at CSU, so expect smaller checks this year ⁠³.

Short-term training: Cal Grant C and Workforce Pell

The 2026 budget changed Cal Grant C to cover programs as short as 8 weeks ⁠⁶. Under SB 135, CSAC also decides on the governor’s behalf whether a college’s short-term program qualifies for federal Workforce Pell, after consulting the California Workforce Development Board ⁠⁶. CSAC’s portal for colleges and career training providers opened on October 21, 2026. Programs approved by the state then need final approval from the U.S. Department of Education before students can receive Workforce Pell money ⁠⁶. Once a program is approved, a student can combine Cal Grant C with Workforce Pell ⁠⁶.

Federal rules require 8 to 14 weeks of instruction and 150 to 599 clock hours. Completion and job placement rates must each be at least 70% ⁠⁸. Students who already have a bachelor’s degree can get Workforce Pell. Direct Loans and federal work-study are not available for these programs, but WIOA money can be combined with them ⁠⁸. Regular Pell for 2026-27 runs from $740 to $7,395 ⁠⁷. Starting this year, you cannot get Pell if your non-federal aid equals or exceeds your cost of attendance ⁠⁹.

WIOA training money through America’s Job Center of California

Adults, dislocated workers and out-of-school youth aged 16 to 24 can get training paid for through an Individual Training Account (ITA) at an America’s Job Center of California (AJCC). The AJCCs are overseen by 45 local workforce development boards ⁠¹¹⁠¹². A career planner helps you choose a program from the California Eligible Training Provider List. If funds are available, the AJCC sets up an ITA that pays the provider directly, sometimes in installments ⁠¹¹. Local policy may let you choose a program in another local area, or outside California if both state and local policies allow ⁠¹¹. Each board can cap ITA amounts and length. Pell and other grants are counted first, and WIOA covers only what remains ⁠¹³.

To search the list yourself, open CalJOBS and choose Training Providers and Schools. Then pick Eligible Providers from the WIOA menu. Programs that WIOA can fund show a green checkmark ⁠¹⁰. If you are getting unemployment benefits, ask the EDD about California Training Benefits before your 16th week of payments. The program lets you keep collecting benefits while in approved training without searching for work, though EDD does not pay tuition ⁠¹⁴.

Filing for 2027-28 in California, step by step

1. Pick your form

   File the 2027-28 FAFSA if you are eligible for federal aid. If not, file the CADAA ⁠⁴.

2. File before March 2, 2027

   Community college students who miss that date can still file by September 2, 2027 ⁠¹.

3. Make sure CSAC has your GPA

   Ask your high school or college whether it will send your GPA. If it will not, file the GPA Verification Form by the March deadline ⁠¹⁵.

4. Open a WebGrants 4 Students account

   Use it to see your Cal Grant offer, claim it and list the college you will attend.

5. Ask your community college about the CCPG and Promise

   If you are not on CalWORKs or another listed benefit, the FAFSA or CADAA is usually enough. You can also use the college’s CCPG form ⁠⁴.

6. For short-term training, visit an AJCC

   Bring proof of identity, income and work history. Choose a program on the Eligible Training Provider List, and ask whether it is approved for Cal Grant C or Workforce Pell ⁠⁶⁠¹⁰⁠¹¹.

7. Appeal if you lose a fee waiver

   Colleges must review accidents, illness, disability accommodation problems, changes in your finances and recent improvement in grades ⁠⁴.